It’s time for Spencer Rattler to make his NFL debut.
New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen announced Wednesday that Rattler will start in their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, Fox). He will start in place of regular starter Derek Carr, who is expected to miss several games with an oblique injury.
Carr was lost Monday night in the Saints’ 26-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs with an oblique injury. He took a hard hit while trying to throw a pass late in the fourth quarter, and he is now expected to miss several games as a result. The Saints host the Denver Broncos next Thursday night, so they will have a short turnaround after their NFC South game.
Carr was replaced by Jake Haener on Monday night, who went 2 of 7 for 17 yards in the final minutes of that game. The Fresno State sophomore quarterback had only attempted one pass throughout his entire league career before Monday.
Instead of giving Haener another chance, the Saints will now turn to Rattler. New Orleans first selected him in the fifth round of the NFL draft earlier this year out of South Carolina, where he transferred after starting his career at Oklahoma with Lincoln Riley. Rattler threw for a career-high 3,186 yards and 19 touchdowns with the Gamecocks last season while leading them to a 5-7 record.
Rattler has yet to appear in a game for the Saints this season, although he impressed in the preseason and had a game-winning drive in a game against the Cardinals. He went 7 of 13 for 105 yards and also threw a touchdown in their preseason finale.
While the Saints will likely turn to Carr again when he’s healthy, Rattler will get his first big-league shot Sunday afternoon. He is now the fifth rookie quarterback in the league to start this season. The Saints, after starting the season with back-to-back wins, have lost three games in a row. The Buccaneers, who flew to New Orleans early to avoid Hurricane Milton, are 3-2 and coming off a 36-30 loss to the Atlanta Falcons last week.
